Empack: As CEO of BEC, there are many sectors that you deal with and know. In your opinion, which are the industries in the region that are most committed to the environmental and digital change that is required today?

Xabier: I believe that the mobilisation of our industries towards more sustainable production models is a reality; there are many that have already taken a step forward and are firmly committed to sustainability and digitalisation. In order to organise and promote this whole process, the Basque Country also has its own roadmap, the Basque Green Deal, through which we join the European Green Pact; it is a competitive model with well-defined lines of action -energy, industry, mobility, biodiversity and food- in which inter-institutional and public-private collaboration are fundamental.

For our part, in this context of growing awareness on the part of our customers, at BEC we have also elevated both concepts to the category of priority. In the area of energy efficiency, for example, we have a great support, our photovoltaic solar park. We are currently in the process of expanding the installation of panels to increase the output by a factor of ten to one megawatt.

We have also begun to accredit our events as sustainable events, with the Erronka Garbia seal, and we continue to strengthen our policy of alliances with local, national and international entities. One of the most outstanding actions is the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative that we support from UFI-Global Association of the Exhibition Industry to tackle climate change. With regard to digitalisation, we continue to make progress. At the moment, any BEC customer can complete their participation 100% online and has very interesting tools at their disposal during the event itself.

Empack: And finally, as president of AFE and for those who have not yet opted for trade fairs as a marketing tool, what information could you provide in favour of events such as Empack and Logistics & Automation Bilbao?

Xabier: Meetings such as these are fundamental for promoting innovation, knowledge and quality commercial relations, and they have been clearly revalued. The current times pose complex scenarios in which many companies need, more than ever, to show and know in a concentrated and agile way the latest market movements and trends in order to anticipate them and make strategic decisions with the best allies.

The figures for this year at AFE, the Association of Spanish Trade Fairs that I chair, are more than eloquent: to date, we estimate that more than 400 trade fairs have been held, with the participation of around 65,000 exhibitors and around 5 million visitors. We are talking about events that have offered their participants the best marketing tool for branding and positioning themselves, for getting to know and accessing new foreign markets, exchanging experiences, obtaining direct feedback on products and services, speeding up sales and purchasing processes… At this point, I must stress that these are formats that are evolving with proposals based on the experiential aspect and very interesting content.